Saint Ethelwold of Winchester
BISHOP OF WINCHESTER, IN ENGLAND, AND CONFESSOR.
Bishop and Confessor
A monk of Glastonbury who became Bishop of Winchester in the 10th century, Saint Ethelwold was a great monastic reformer in England. Under the reign of King Edgar, he restored numerous abbeys destroyed by the Danes, notably Ely, Thorney, and Peterborough. He died in 984 after a life dedicated to humility, charity, and monastic discipline.
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SAINT ETHELWOLD, MONK OF GLASTONBURY,
BISHOP OF WINCHESTER, IN ENGLAND, AND CONFESSOR.
Monastic reforms and foundations
Saint Ethelwold replaced the secular canons of Winchester with monks from Abingdon and undertook the reconstruction of the abbeys of Ely and Thorney, which had been ruined by the Danes.
Several. The secular canons of his cathedral proved incorrigible; he expelled them after assigning them the means to subsist, and put in their place the monks of Abingdon, of whom he was both bishop and abbot. There were three who took the habit and remained attached to the service of that church. The following year, the holy bishop a gain took the m le saint évêque Bishop of Winchester and major 10th-century monastic reformer. onastery of Winchester from the secular ca Winchester Royal city and site of the ordeal of Queen Emma. nons who occupied it, and substituted for them monks who were governed by an abbot. In the same city, he had the monastery of nuns, dedicated under the invocation of the Blessed Virgin, repaired. Having purchased from the king the lands and ruins of that of Saint Etheldreda, on the Isle of Ely, which had been burned by the Danes a hundred years earlier, he built on the same site a famous abbey for men which experienced the effects of King Edgar's liberal ity, and w roi Edgard King of England who supported the reforms of Ethelwold. hich, thereafter, was known by the name of the island in which it was situated. In 970, he also had that of Thorney, in Cambridgeshire, rebuilt, the ruins of which he had likewise purchased.
The rebirth of Peterborough
Under Ethelwold's guidance, the chancellor Adulph rebuilt the abbey of Peterborough, an ancient royal foundation of Mercia destroyed by Viking invasions.
It was through his assistance, and under his direction, that Adulph, chancellor to King Edgar, acquired the land of th e abbey of Peterboroug abbaye de Peterborough Abbey rebuilt by Adulph under the direction of Ethelwold. h, to rebuild it with the greatest magnificence. This house had been founded in 646 by Peada, the first Christian king of Mercia. I Péada, premier roi chrétien de Mercie First Christian king of Mercia and initial founder of Peterborough. t was not, however, completed until the time of Wulfhere and Ethelred, brothers of that prince, and their sisters Kineburge and Kinewith, who wished to be buried there. It had subsisted with a great reputation for holiness until the year 870, at which time the Danes Danois Viking invasions that caused the destruction of English monasteries in the 9th century. destroyed it. Adulph, who was rightly regarded as its second founder, had his only son, who died in infancy, buried there in the year 960. He then gave all his possessions to the monastery, took the habit there, and was elected its abbot.
Spirituality and virtues
Despite his activities as a builder, the saint cultivated a deep inner life based on humility, charity, and the balance between action and contemplation.
Although Saint Ethelwol saint Ethelwold Bishop of Winchester and major 10th-century monastic reformer. d was heavily occupied with the sanctification of others, he did not for that reason neglect his own salvation. He exercised himself in the practice of all virtues, and referred everything to the glory of God. Humility and charity animated all his outward actions. He knew that without these virtues it would be of no use to him to distribute his goods to the poor, or even to deliver his body to the flames. He also knew that the fervor of devotion must be nourished and increased in the heart, because otherwise it relaxes and loses its activity, much like an arrow, launched by a bow, whose force diminishes little by little, and which finally falls to the ground. He therefore joined interior exercises to exterior functions, so that the one and the other might support and strengthen each other.
Death and Posterity
Ethelwold died in 984; his relics were later translated by his successor Saint Alphege following numerous miracles.
His blessed death occurred on August 1, 984. He was buried in h is cathedral, sa cathédrale Royal city and site of the ordeal of Queen Emma. next to the high altar. As several miracles were performed through his intercession, his body was raised from the earth and solemnly placed under the altar. This ceremony was performed by Saint Alp saint Elphège Successor of Ethelwold at Winchester. hege, the immediate successor of Saint Ethelwold.
Godes card and Acta Acta Sanctorum Hagiographic collection cited as a source. Sanctorum.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Monk at Glastonbury
- Bishop of Winchester
- Reform of Winchester Cathedral by installing monks from Abingdon
- Restoration of St. Etheldreda's monastery on the Isle of Ely
- Reconstruction of Thorney Abbey in 970
- Directed the reconstruction of Peterborough Abbey with Adulph
Miracles
- Several miracles performed through his intercession after his death